I just realised that I haven’t written that many articles about tarot (or that many blog post in general) ever since I got busy with my tarot gigs in Ubud, Bali.

Today I have this idea to walk you through on how to bond with your tarot cards as I came across some clients who are in dire need of sharpening their intuition. Tarot has always been the best remedy for me. I can just pick up a card, do a few readings for myself, and my intuition will get back on track. If you wonder, yes, your intuition may stop working at some point if you choose not to listen to it or choose to close it. But don’t worry, you can always open it again.

However, just having the cards alone won’t help you to unlock the ability in a flash. Being a tarot reader takes a lot of time, a lot of hard work, and most importantly, requires a strong connection between you and your card as the gateway to the universe’s library. First thing that you need to do before you start is to bond with the cards before deciding to use it to read strangers.

1. Understand what your tarot cards' personality is

I believe that different tarot cards are meant for different purposes. My Bohemian Cats tarot are very chatty, witty, and friendly. The moment I touched them, I knew that they would be amazing cards specifically for love life reading. My Thoth cards, on the other hand, is very firm and philosophical. Hence why Thoth is now becoming my staple cards for spiritual related questions. I have also baptised him to be the one who helps me with my Tarotscope readings.

By understanding your card’s personality and purposes, your intuition would immediately tell you how to bond with them. Some cards like to be touched by strangers, some cards don’t. Some cards like to talk to you about mundane things, while some others are very secretive and reserved. Read the cards’ description or search any reviews about it to get to know them a little bit further.

2. Carry the tarot cards with you everywhere you go (sleeping included!)

By carrying your cards everywhere you go, your cards would get new information about you everyday. Their energy and personality would be merged with you subconsciously. Do this for at least a week to get your tarot cards up and running with your pace.

3. Find the card's guardian and talk to them

This is an uncanny practice, but what I usually do is look at all of the cards and find their guardian; that one card who represents the whole deck. How to find out? These guardians would have the strongest presence compared to the others. Once I find them, I usually would meditate and talk to them. For me this is an important process to get your cards to bond with you. The more you bond with the guardian, the easier you can talk to them without even touching the cards. You can ask a question through channeling and the guardian will answer it for you. Interesting, right?

4. Practice, practice, practice!

I cannot emphasise this further because practice does make perfect! Train your cards to work in your favour by asking them various questions to push their limits. No need to feel restricted by their personality.

When I first met Thoth tarot, he would reject any vanilla questions, because he believed that he was meant for bigger purposes. He would also give me wisdoms instead of general reading, which was quite irritating because my querents were not always interested in wisdom. But slowly after a few years, Thoth has become more and more accustomed with the common people questions. He can even answer cheesy love questions, despite his firm yet occasional ‘tough love’ suggestions.

The truth is, you can always mould your cards’ characteristic to assist you with your readings. Their original personality wouldn’t be gone completely, they are just going to get a new kind of ability. Something that they would get only if the owner chooses to push their limit. Read for yourself, read for your friends, read as much as you can.

What would happen if I decide not to bond with my cards?

Fresh cards are usually unable to present you with a lot of details during the reading. They can also misinterpret your question and are more prone to give you the wrong answer. If you’re thinking of jumping to tarot reading without having to bond with your cards in prior, you may stumble upon some tarot reader block here and there. Bonding time with your cards will help you to acquire a more precise answer within a very short period of time (mine would be maximum 5 second). You will also require less energy as you read more with your cards. A fresh new deck would often leave you feeling lethargic and hungry, something that would not happen once you spent a few months or years bonding with your card.

Anyway, if you have some questions regarding tarot reading, feel free to contact me through email or the comment section below.

Happy bonding!

Hello, I'm Canti!

I am a tarot reader and an eclectic witch living in Bali, providing online tarot reading and blessing service for the mindful soul-searchers. Contact me at www.foxglovetarot.com to book a private counseling session with me.